It seems like a given that a victim of sexual assault should never, ever have to pay for the tests and treatments that attempt to lessen the horror of her experience. Apparently, that is not the case in several states around the country, most noticeably in Louisiana. Recent victims who entered hospitals, like Interim LSU which recently became part of the private entity Louisiana Children's Medical Center, have received bills upwards of $2,000, sometimes months after their visit. Read More

[Trigger Warning: This post contains a description and photos of physical assault that may potentially be triggering for survivors of such abuse.]
Just as Congress was debating the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, photographer Sara Naomi Lewkowicz’s 39-frame photo essay “Photographer As Witness: A Portrait of Domestic Violence” was featured in Time Magazine and is receiving serious backlash and hate from viewers. Read More

Happy Sequester Day! Today the US is facing across-the-board spending cuts that will add up to about $85 million in deficit reduction this fiscal year, and $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. So what’s getting cut? The cuts are split pretty evenly between domestic and defense funding. While Republicans like John McCain are afraid that these defense cuts will compromise the nation and leave us vulnerable to attack (#militaryindustrialcomplex), we’re a little more concerned about the targeted domestic programs that relied on government funding to provide crucial services. Read More

Today, the House of Congress will be considering the renewal of the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act, which expired more than 500 days ago. Why hasn't such a crucial piece of legislation been renewed? The short answer is that House Republicans blocked the VAWA vote in order to pursue their own conservative agenda in the form of an adapted bill. The differences between the original, meaty, bipartisan Senate VAWA and the lean, pared down conservative alternative are pretty stark, and predictably concerning. Read More

After this morning's news on a Republican-backed gay marriage proposition, it's nice to know conservative government can surprise us. (Congratulations on being decent human beings, guys, even if you're probably just trying to avoid the Chik-Fil-A backlash because you're intimidated by the LBGTQ movement! Here's a cookie!) Unfortunately, there are still about a million shady bills floating around Washington, and one of them is trying to repeal the Violence Against Women Act. Though 78 out of 100 senators voted to pass VAWA, the 22 naysayers are hoping to weaken it. Read More

Yesterday evening, the White House released a statement saying that the President will likely veto HR 4970, the House Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill. The Senate recently passed its version of the VAWA, updating it to include protection for Native American women, LGBT victims, immigrants, and college students. The Senate’s bill was passed 68-31, with 15 Republicans voting for it. The House bill will not only retract these additions, but also eliminate some of the confidentiality currently afforded to immigrant victims (i.e. Read More